


Can No One Hear My Cry

by SakiaLumei



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates, World of Warcraft
Genre: And then I'm sorry, F/M, Leo is little creepy at one point, LeoSaku Week 2016, Really butchered WoW lore I'm so sorry, Trainquility/Anxiety, World of Warcraft AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-23
Updated: 2016-12-23
Packaged: 2018-09-11 07:49:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,174
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8970340
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SakiaLumei/pseuds/SakiaLumei
Summary: Leo thought he was smarter. He thought that he was stronger. He thought that he could best the magic, leash it like an untrained dog. His multiple voices fought over the possibility, some doubting him and some boasting proudly that he could do what no one else could. Now, there was only one voice.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Ugghh this was so hard to write. So much WoW research and I still don't think I did the lore justice haha. Thanks to Skullboss for reviewing my lore, btw, and helping me! This hasn't been beta'd so it'd be great if ya'll spot any spelling mistakes to let me know ahhhh thanks

**Can No One Hear My Cry**

 

“Leo.” She said his name with a gentle voice, innocent curiosity coloring her tone, “Haven’t you ever thought of it?”

His fingers reached into her hair as he felt her gentle breathing against his chest. Outside of the stronghold they called home, the air chilled as the grasshoppers sung their lullabies, nearly lulling him to sleep. He stared at the stone ceiling above him before looking to his left where the old books piled up, the whole place smelling of their old, yellow pages. For now, her presence allowed him to breathe easy, but it wasn’t always the case. Tomorrow morning, a thousand questions will wake him from his slumber, but it wasn’t as if his dreams were any solace either.

Finally, in an almost whisper, he replied. “Many times,”

“So…” Her finger traced shapes around his collar bone, soothing him.

“I wouldn’t be good for it.” He closed his eyes. “The Light requires faith and conviction, above all else,”

“And you don’t have those?” She stirred, lifting her head off his chest to face him eye-to-eye. Even in the diluting, dark colors of the night, her strawberry colored hair, messy with strands falling next to her cheeks, still appeared vibrant to his eyes.  “You’ve seen the Light at work…and you have more determination than anyone I know.”

A smile tugged at his lips as he reached to her forehead, brushing a lock of her hair between his fingers. “You’re different,” he said. “I could…I could personally never do that.” She tilted her head to the side. “Put my complete trust in the Light like you,”

“How is your magic any different?”

Then his smile dropped. “There is certainty,” he said. “Something…concrete I can use. I can come to understand it.”

He saw her cheeks tighten as she made a thin line with her lips. “I worry.” With a sigh, she lied back down with her head under his chin. “Maybe…Maybe we should leave.” His chest bounced with a quick snort.

“And go where?”

She shrugged, inviting his hand to rest on the small of her back. “Dalaran,”

“Dalaran?” he repeated, lifting his head to see her. “Of all places…”

“Is it hard to get to?”

“Hmm…” A smirk happened on his lips. “I suppose, if you were sleeping with anyone else but me.” On cue, she delivered a quick fist to his chest, hard enough to make him jolt but too soft to feel pain for any more than a couple of seconds. Leo laughed through it, stopping once she shifted, getting comfortable.

Her intonation descended, sleep about to take hold of her. “Then let’s go…” She closed her eyes, her voice growing softer. “Take me one day, okay?”

He closed his heavy eyes as well, smiling. “Whatever you wish, Sakura…”

* * *

Leo could barely keep his hands steady. Sweat caked to his forehead, beads running past his brow as he panted. Streaks of violet surround his hands, runes circling around him. His eyes glowed bright as he shoved his hand towards the undead before him. He recalled the incantation as fast as he could then declared the words. A lively pulse flashed through his veins as the energy within his contorted, demanding release. With the push of his palms, five bright and purple missiles charged out of his magic runes. They split between the three green zombies closing in on him, blasting them away and to the ground.

He quickly turned behind him to make sure Sakura was still safe, keeping the undead at bay with her Light magic. Scanning his surroundings, running calculations in his head, Leo grit his teeth and took her hand. “No use,” he growled, breaking into a spring with her in tow. “We’ll never make it from here!”

“Wh-what shall we do!” she called after him. No matter which way they went, they heard the horrid and guttural cries of the undead, threatening to overrun them. The fog and thick trees of the Isle made it hard to maneuver, and Leo hadn’t a clue where the rest of the human army was. Right now, he didn’t have the time or headspace to figure it out, not when he had to think of a thousand things. Where would they go? Could they defeat this many undead? Would Sakura be safe? If we win, what then? The voices were maddening, enough that he nearly didn’t notice the horde of undead jump at him from behind the trees. Sakura screamed as he skid to a stop, quickly changing their direction. There were more that way as well. He turned around, seeing more running towards them. They were completely surrounded. “L-Leo!” Her voice was so frightened as she clung to his arm. “W-We gotta do s-something!”

Leo knew. With bated breath, he searched his mind for the answer. None of his spells were powerful enough to take care of multiple undead at once. He thought of using one to blast away a few to carve a path, but even then, they would have to run. _What do I do…what do I do?_

_I know something you can do._

Time seemed to stop and his thousand voices quieted to one.

_It’s easy. It will work._

Sakura’s voice called his name again as they closed in.

_It will save her._

Leo had no time to question it any longer. He pulled her close against his chest, holding her head against it. “Close your eyes,” he said, holding out his hand. Once he confirmed that Sakura did as he asked, he was ready. Taking one breath was all it needed.

Even if they were undead, he knew where to tap into to steal their life, the magic keeping them animated. With the simple flex of his fingers, Leo suddenly felt a powerful surge like he never had before. Draining the undead made the field look like a hurricane, with Leo and Sakura in the eye of the storm. Despite their screams, Leo felt like the world around him was quiet. Unlike the Arcane magic, which required so much thought, so much precision, this was easy. All it took was a simple command in his mind and the rest was history. Warm energy pooled within his body, and he could no longer feel the pain in his feet from running, the dryness in his breath and lungs, the cuts on his legs and fingers. Daresay, he felt like _a god_. A god receiving the life of dozens of lesser creatures, all converging on him. Though, he couldn’t keep such tremendous amounts of life within him, and once he had finished the drain, he let it all go with the wave of his hand. In a quick burst, radiating from him, the trees and flowers withered. The leaves turned to ash and the mist vanished, leaving a creator of dead life all around him.

Leo took staggering breaths, staring at his hand, the green magic still swirling around his fingers and pooling in his eyes. Just as the glow faded, he looked down, remembering that she was still in his arms. “S-Sakura.” She was trembling, her breathing also hasty as she dared to look up. Leo gave her a soft smile. “It’s over…we’re safe.”

Yet, her eyes were wide, as if she had never seen him before. She stepped out of his arms, holding her own hands as she slowly looked around her. A wavering gasp left her lips as she saw the ruin around her, the dozens of sapped bodies that had dropped like flies. Their expressions were frozen in a scream, their bodies hollow of any sort of life. When she met his face once again, the look of fear in her eyes and trembling lips nearly tore his heart in two. “L-Leo…what did you do?”

Just before he could speak, they both turned around at the sound of galloping horses. Knights wearing silver, gold, and blue armor rode onto the scene, coming to a halt once they saw it. The one in front dismounted his horse, his eyes narrow as he stalked to Leo.

“C-Commander—,”

“Mage, did you do this!?”

He swallowed thickly. “I had no choice. We were about to di—urgh!” The Commander seize Leo by his collar, lifting him an inch off the ground.

“Better to die than become a servant of the Fel!” he shouted before shoving Leo to the ground, causing Sakura to rush and kneel by him. “Haven’t you seen what it did to the Orcs!?”

Leo sat up. “The Orcs are idiots,” he spat. “I am not. I’d never let a form of magic best me!”

The Commander crossed his arms, his tone turning grave. “That’s what they all say, Mage, but Fel is different. It corrupts and feeds, even when you don’t want to.” He turned on his heel, walking back to his horse. “Unless you plan to abandon these thoughts all together, don’t bother returning to us, Mage.”

“What!?” He scramble to stand. “You’re going to kick me out? Just like that!” He felt Sakura’s hand on his arm, but it didn’t calm him any further.

“I won’t have you spreading this terrible magic among us. If you wish to submit to it and die as a rotten, green corpse, then be my guest, but do it elsewhere!”

What a fool! Leo thought. To be afraid of a powerful, decisive magic. He was right in saying the Orcs were idiots and simply couldn’t handle it. But Leo was no fool; he had dedicated his life to studying magic and its many forms. Time and time again, he had been told never to use Fel. But now that he had a taste and was certain that he could control it…

He would do it. He could do it.

With a tight frown, Leo dusted off his robes and stared down his commander. “Fine,” he said firmly, taking her hand. “Let’s go, Sakura.” He turned on his heel and took two steps before her hand from his grasp. Puzzled, he looked back to see her standing still, bringing her hand back to her side. “…Sakura?”

She shook her head. “L-Leo…I-I can’t—,”

“What!?” He scoffed once, in distraught. “You’re not…serious, are you?” She frowned, standing her ground as her fists tightened. “Sakura?”

“H-He’s right, Leo. No g-good can come of this,”

“But…” He faked a single laugh. “I did this for you…to protect you.” He took a step forward, and she a step back in return. Desperation hinted in his voice. “Sakura, please—,”

“Listen to me!” He closed his lips. “This isn’t right, Leo! Look around you!” She spread her arms gesturing. “The trees, the plants…you killed everything. That is what that magic does…so let it go. You…you don’t need it—,”

“Yes I do.” Leo blinked, realizing how easily those words spilled out. Recalling the invigorating rush the magic gave him, he thought his words to be sound. Yes. He did need it.

Her eyes glossed and he saw her chest tighten. Though her eyes narrowed at him as if he were a stranger, he saw the quiver in her bottom lip as she held back tears.

“…So be it,” he said, turning on his heel again.

“Wh-where are you going?” she asked,

“…I’ll come back,” he said to her. “Once I’ve shown you that I can control it,”

“B-but Leo, you can’t!” she said as he continued to walk.

“I can. And I will.”

_Yes. That’s what I’ll do. I’ll master the magic like no one else has done before. I’ll return for her…_

* * *

Before, there used to be many different voices whispering inside his head, all of which were actually his. He fought himself to concentrate, to determine the best outcomes, but it was exhausting. Over and over, he asked himself why wasn’t he doing more, why _couldn’t_ he do more. For everyone else, it was enough. For him, it wasn’t.

Leo thought he was smarter. He thought that he was stronger. He thought that he could best the magic, leash it like an untrained dog. His multiple voices fought over the possibility, some doubting him and some boasting proudly that he could do what no one else could.

Now, there was only one voice. It spoke quietly, but with certainty. The voice of his Master.

_I’ve seen you, young Mage. The power you are capable of. I know that you can control it._

And Leo believed it.

_If you use the Fel magic and summon me to your world, then I shall end the war on your behalf._

Yes, he knew that this was the solution he was searching for. With this, he could quell the thousand voices in his head. With this, he could become even more powerful than he ever dreamed of. He could return to Sakura after ending this war.

Thus, Leo made a pact with the Dragon of Silence, Anankos. Wiping out entire forests, fields, and then towns became so easy. He barely slept, kept awake by the hungering pains demanding more life, more souls. He felt sick if he didn’t quench the thirst in decent time. The single voice in his head sounded less like him every day, but at least there was only one.

Eventually, Leo stopped resisting. There wasn’t much of a fight to being with. His eyes now glowed eternally with a vile green light, matching the markings carved into his skin. His complexion had paled and his mage robes replaced with black, tattered ones. His younger self might have thought how ghastly and horrid he looked, but he was gone now.

All that was left was the stone palace erected for him by his Master once the summoning had been complete. Anankos did indeed stop the war, by eradicating both sides piece-by-piece. There wasn’t a day where the dragon was not on a rampage and creatures from all over, from Azeroth to Draenor, did not fight against it. _Soon_ , Leo thought. _Soon they’ll all stop fighting and accept their fate._

Leo looked away from the window of his throne room, sensing a presence. That was odd, no one had ever braved the climb up the cliff to get here. Perhaps they were intruders here to kill him. Fools. Leo could sap their life in a matter of seconds and go on with watching the carnage. He turned to go find who had happened upon him, hearing the light footsteps.

“Leo?” He recognized that voice, soft and light. Once he stepped out from the shadows, she gasped upon seeing his new form. But, he was more concerned with her. It had been, what, a year? Perhaps more? Her strawberry hair was longer, her priestess robes more ornate. The rest of her features hadn’t changed, just like the initial love he had for her.

“Sakura…” He used to say her name so lovingly, but now, his altered voice had tainted the name. She shuddered and stood her ground as he approached her. “You found me…forgive me, I was supposed to look for you after I completed my mission,”

“Y-your mission?” Her eyes were wide and glossy. “Y-You…s-so it’s true. Y-you did this?”

“Hm? Of course I did.” He chuckled. “No one but me could have managed to use the Fel in such a way. And my Master knew it.” She swallowed thickly, biting her bottom lip. “Are you afraid of Him, Sakura? There is no need.” She narrowed her brows as he took a step forward, reaching his hand to her cheek. Though he had forgotten about her in his quest, he still felt his heart beat for her presence. She said nothing, so he pushed some strands back. “If I asked, he will spare you.” Her gaze tightened, her lips frowning at him. Leo chuckled, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her against him. She let out a gasped as his pale hand tipped her chin up. “I’ve missed you…” As he leaned in toward her cheek, he heard her soft breaths. “Missed your touch…” She put her shaking hands on his chest. “I wonder…” His lips brushed by her cheek, “if your body feels the same way as it did. Do you remember?”

Sakura parted her lips to reply, but he took the opportunity to silence her with a kiss. She made a soft noise of surprise, muffled by his lips. In the next second, she shoved him away with a loud “No!” and delivered an open-palmed strike to his cheek. The slap turned his head to the side as the stinging sound echoed throughout the chamber. Holding his cheek, he growled, turning back to her.

“My Leo would never do that!” she cried, taking hasty breaths. “Give him back!”

He dropped his hand to his side, his voice taking a level in anger. “When will you realize that your Leo was weak and a coward!” He half-laughed. “He couldn’t function from the ridiculous amount of voices in his head, all because he worried about every little thing,”

“It’s because he cared!” she shouted back. “He cared about me, and about life, and everything else.” With her bottom lip still trembling, she used the back of her hand to wipe her lips. Sakura conjured a staff and grasped it in her hands. “And that’s the Leo I’m here for. So give. Him. Back.”

Before Leo could respond, he saw bright, yellow lights converge on her palm. With a shove and a cry, she tossed the light towards him, hitting him square in the chest. Leo fell back with a cough. The hell, she got stronger in their time apart. And here, he was thinking on how frail and shy she used to be, suiting her role as a healer. But here she was, putting up a fight.

He stood up straight, the glow in his eyes intensifying. He summoned dark, green energy to pool in his hands before lobbying the vile energy towards her. Sakura lifted her staff and brought it down onto the ground, creating a divine shield before her. The energy blasted at the shield and separated like a fork in the road, diverging on either side of her. Once his spell faded, Leo saw her lift her staff again, twirling it above her head. Bits of light swirled around her as he heard the clanking of chains together, the streaks of light taking shape. His eyes narrowed, trying to figure out what she was trying to do, but his body still moved according to his instinct. And instinct told him to burn her to a crisp.

Leo snapped his fingers, conjuring dark fires in the palms of his hands. Just before she would hurl those chains at him, he tossed flurry of fireballs toward her, but she was ready. Using the chains she summoned, they caught the vile fires before they could touch her, but burst into light upon impact. Once the barrage was dealt with, she cried out once more before throwing the remaining chains towards him. They wrapped around his ankles and wrists, holding his down like a wild animal. Leo growled, struggling against them, knowing he could break them in a matter of time.

But Sakura didn’t have time. She ran to him while the chains still held, and put her hand over his head. “Leo, return to me…” Soft, blue magic swirled in the palm of her hand and Leo knew it to be a spell intended to purify him. With one last growl, he pulled and shattered the holy chains, reaching up. Sakura yelled as his hand clenched around her neck, stopping the words of her spell before they could finish as the magic disappeared.

Here, he felt it again. The hunger. The single voice calling for blood, for life. _Absorb her. Consume her. Consume, consume!_

“You could have ruled with me, Sakura,” he said as she gasped, clawing at his hand. Though she choked from the grasp around her neck, she still had enough willpower to stare him in the eye, denying him even now. “It’s fine…this way,” he said, putting his free hand over her head, “you’ll remain with me forever—,”

_STOP_

Leo gasped, his arms going limp. He dropped her to the floor and she wheezes, coughing as she held her neck.

_STOP IT RIGHT NOW._

He staggered back, holding his head. _No…no it couldn’t. The voices were coming back._

He heard it now, the voice that used to belong to him. It cried out in his mind. _Not Sakura!_

“You…you fool!” Leo groaned as the voices became louder. He needed to consume something, anything to stop them before they drew him mad. His Master still needed him.

“L-Leo?” she choked out, sitting up from the ground. “Leo, is that you!?”

_Run, my love! Run far away from me!_

“No! She stays!” Now his voice sounded crazed and whatever was left of his humanity began to slip. “I need her…I need her life!”

She stood up. “Leo, if you can hear me, then fight!” she shouted, despite the hoarseness in her voice. “You can still stop this!” He took a step back, fingers clawing at his head. “D-Don’t you remember? We were s-supposed to go to Dalaran after the war. W-We still can!”

“F-Foolish girl!” the demon spat back. “Anankos is already halfway done with ending the life on this wretched planet. Even the mages in the sky can’t hide from his destruction—Shut up!”

The voices swarmed like insects, disrupting the single voice he was used to taking commands from. In the madness, the true Leo found his one voice.

_No…she’s right. I can end this. I can end this!_

Leo knelt on the floor and with a loud cry, green energy burst from his body. Expelling the Fel from his body felt like torture, like a thousand needles stinging him at once. He felt the thousand voices within him screaming. Above them, he heard the voice of the dragon. Though incoherent, it screamed at his insolence, threatening to take his soul along with him.

_Take it, then! Leave my world and never come back!_

Leo knew that severing the ties between him and Anankos would be life-threatening in the process, but it was nothing compared to the hundreds of the thousands that already perished because of him.

_I did this…I brought the world to ruin. I was wrong…I was so, so wrong!_

As he felt the last of the Fel leave him, he opened his eyes and saw nothing but black. It was silent completely, no sounds of ruin or destruction outside his palace like usual. No Sakura in sight. In the next moment, he was met face to face with the face of the Silent Dragon, its rotating eyes peering at him from all angles.

_F…O…O…L!_

It disappeared but Leo felt a terrible pain in his chest, he gasped quickly, feeling numb and unable to shout.

He heard her scream his name. Just before his body lied on the floor, she caught him in his arms as she knelt beside him. Her voice sounded muffled. “Leo, Leo! A-are you there? Is it you?”

The green glow disappeared from his eyes, and he saw relief wash over her, tears spilling down her cheek. “S…Sakura…”

Outside, there was a wretched cry that wrought through the land. She whipped her head toward the window, gasping softly as it died down. “That…that sounded like the dragon…” Sakura looked back to him. “Y-you did it…”

He couldn’t feel anything below his neck, but Leo smiled nonetheless. He still felt the invisible, clawed hand in his chest, holding his very soul in place. “G…Go without me,” he managed. “To…Dalaran,”

“H…Huh?” she asked, lifting him up. “Wh-Why can’t you go with me?” He simply kept smiling in response. “Leo…Leo, what’s happening?” She shook him.

“…Can you smile…” He winced as the clawed nails dug into him. “Smile…once more?”

Sakura’s eyes widened, hot tears spilling down her cheek. “You-You’ll be alright, Leo. I-I can heal you—,”

“Please?”

She hiccupped, holding back sobs, as she lifted his head. “Leo, no, no! You’re gonna be alright. We’re g-gonna go together!”

He couldn’t even lift his hand to hold her cheek like he normally did. At this point, all he could manage was another, “Please?”

Sakura let out a staggering gasp, her chest rising and falling as her crying turned her breath irregular. She wiped her eyes with her sleeve, but the tears couldn’t stop. With a quivering lip, she forced a single smile for him. It didn’t last, but it was all Leo needed. “Thank…you…”

The voices instead his head had stopped and he closed his eyes. The claw snatched his soul, bringing it to another realm to suffer for eternity.

He didn’t have to hear her wail his name, nor did he have to see her sob into his chest.


End file.
